


Where have you been, baby?

by Carmen_Carmen



Series: will you still love me, after all? [1]
Category: Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)
Genre: F/M, Grant Ward Redemption, Season/Series 03, Slow Burn, after everything he did, grant ward has something good in it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-06
Updated: 2020-10-06
Packaged: 2021-03-08 07:27:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26848150
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Carmen_Carmen/pseuds/Carmen_Carmen
Summary: hive this dead... but its host does not.Miraculously Grant Ward is alive, nobody knows how, but he is, and when Phil Coulson offers a second chance, which was not given before, Ward realizes that she is willing to be better, of being the good man who skye believed he was.Meanwhile, Daisy Johnson is broken again, and after everything she did and passed, she admits something she never thought she would do."You're right..." Daisy talks with a sad and dark look.
Relationships: Skye | Daisy Johnson/Grant Ward
Series: will you still love me, after all? [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1958494
Comments: 3
Kudos: 23





	Where have you been, baby?

**Author's Note:**

> hii everyone, I really hope you enjoy this!! any mistakes I make, I'm sorry, English is not my first language and please leave your opinions in the comments.

"The manual controls have already been activated, this thing goes into sidereal space" - Daisy talks and presses the button of the quinjet gate, "with you inside." - it ends. 

"Ward is still here, we just assume the manual controls" - Hive talks and Daisy sees blood on the floor, she realizes who is in the quinjet. 

Lincoln. No, he couldn't, she knew what he was doing. Trying to save her. Paying for her mistakes.

When her gaze follows the blood pools that stop on the pilot's seat, Lincoln is there pale and bleeding. 

"That's why I had to come, I fried the hand controls"-Lincoln's voice fails when he struggles to turn back.

Hive quickly wraps his hand around Daisy's neck preventing the oxygen from reaching his lungs.

"Lincoln...stops." She whispers waiting for him to give up this stupid idea.

But before the gate closes, Lincoln is standing, sending the rest of his forces in electricity toward Hive who still holds her neck firmly.

When the strong electrical wave explodes into Hive's body, he and Daisy move back to zephyr one.

Daisy's vision darkens and for seconds there is nothing, but when her eyes open again and the air returns to her lungs, she forces herself to stand.

"No!" - Daisy screams when the quinjet separates from the zephyr. She immediately goes to the radio connected to the quinjet.

"Lincoln? listening?" - Daisy talks but has no answer, "Drugs Lincoln, are you listening?" - despair begins to grow inside her and she hits her hand against the control bench.

"Lincoln?" - she calls again, raising her voice, "I'm here." - he finally answers, his voice is so tired.

"What are you doing? Daisy asks, "It's my purpose... I know it now." Lincoln answers.

"But why would you..." She tries to ask but he interrupts her.

"I was the only one who could fry the hand controls... to make sure it worked, to make sure she didn't try to do it alone." Lincoln speaks with difficulty.

"No, it was supposed to be me, I saw the future, this is my destiny" - Daisy tries to argue with him, suddenly she remembers the necklace with the crucifix, which she had in the vision of the future and when she puts her hand on the neck, the necklace is no longer there.

"Yeah, sorry, I stole it from you"- Lincoln speaks seemingly guessing that she was looking for the necklace. 

A part of Daisy realizes that it won't come back, but she refuses to accept it, the tears burn in her eyes, and her legs give way making her get on her knees.

The team finally arrives but Coulson makes a move for them to slow down when he sees Daisy crying on the floor, and when he inspects the room, Hive's body is on the floor burned to the ground, but seems to breathe.

"It shouldn't be like this, it should be me repairing the damage, for my friends... for you." - Daisy confesses crying. She couldn't lose Lincoln, she had already lost so much, it should be her in that jet paying for her own mistakes, not him, it was unfair.

"You can't die like that for me, Lincoln, you're wrong" - she keeps talking.

"I don't know... saving the girl I love and the world at the same time, seems pretty sure to me." - Lincoln jokes.

May, Fitz and the rest of the team try to make contact with the quinjet but have not been in contact for a long time.

"The jet is swaying a lot...the communication system is dying, I must have fried it too." - Lincoln's voice is mixed with the sounds of the radio.

"Lincoln? Lincoln?" - Daisy starts repeating desperately.

"Tell the team... tell Jemma that Hive is a parasite in a host... if she can get the parasite out of the host, he won't be able to control anything or anyone. He is already weakened by the trap of before and after that electrical discharge he won't recover easily, that's our chance to beat him" - Lincoln's voice is still muffled by the noises.

"Lincoln, I can't stand it if you... if you. You can't do this" - Daisy ignores what he said about Hive, she'd deal with it later.

"I didn't think so either, but here I am," he says.

"No, you can't do that, you can't, I can't say goodbye. Daisy keeps repeating himself in the magical hope that he'll be able to get back to her.

"I too, although I just said it, by the way, I tried but we didn't realize it" - he answers knowing what it's about, the I love you never said between them.

"Did you realize what?" she asks, "Now little by little it's the first time I've said I love..." - nothing, she hears only hollow noises and the only thing she can do is cry.

"Make it come back, make it come back" - Daisy asks Coulson again and again but deep down she knows there is no way.

"I can't, the remote access has been disconnected" - Coulson explains what she already knows.

"You have to do it, you have to help me, Coulson." She asks him for help.

"The quinjet was not designed for maneuvering in space, Daisy." - Fitz tries to explain.

"No, we have to... we have to at least try." Daisy talks trying to hold back the tears.

"It's not what he wanted." Coulson speaks softly.

"He... he's paying for my mistakes." Daisy talks feeling guilty.

"No, he's paying for our mistakes." Coulson speaks knowing that all this is a consequence of his revenge against Ward.

Daisy is devastated, her heart is torn to pieces, tears run down her face and she can't hide the hiccups, her strength seems to have disappeared, so she slides to the ground once again.

Coulson hears moans, but it's not Daisy, it comes from a place farther from them. When he looks over his shoulder Hive is trying to get up, Coulson quickly points his gun at him and shoots his leg, even if it's useless, Hive gives a long grunt falling against the wall.

"Who... who are you?" - Hive stutters, the shot catches everyone's attention in the room.

Hive's leg starts bleeding instead of healing as he always did, he seems to analyze everyone's face, the supposed confusion is evident in his face.

"I know who you are" - Hive speaks looking back at Coulson and then at his prosthesis, Hive looks at his own hand before putting it on his chest, exactly where Coulson had crushed Grant Ward's chest.

"You killed me... you're Coulson, Phil Coulson." - Hive tilts his head in enlightenment. Coulson looks to Simmons for some kind of medical explanation or whatever.

"And you... I know you too." Hive talks slowly looking at Daisy, "Skye, no... Daisy, you're Daisy." He keeps talking looking at her.

"Do you know what your name is?" - Simmons asks unwillingly and approaches Coulson, Hive seems to think of the question seconds enough for Simmons to talk to Coulson.

"What's happening, Simmons? Has he really lost his memory?" - Coulson asks without knowing what to do. "I don't know, sir. It could be pretense, a way to gain time" - she tries to argue.

"My name is Grant... Grant Douglas Ward." - Hive or Ward answers after thinking. And neither of them has any idea whether he's telling the truth or is just a trap.

"That's not possible, Grant Ward is dead."- Coulson speaks firmly still pointing a gun at him.

"I'm dead?" - he repeats not believing what Coulson said, "I'm dead." - he repeats again looking at himself, but suddenly he takes his hand to his head and starts moaning.

"My head... it hurts!" - he talks screaming and then faints, the body making a deaf sound as it falls to the ground.

"What the hell was that?" - Mack asks confused, "I really don't know." - Coulson answers as confused as he does.

"Ward is still here." - Daisy, who until now watched the scene silently, speaks grimly.

"What are you talking about, Daisy?" Coulson asks frowning.

"Ward is still here, he can use the hand controls, Hive said that when we were in the quinjet" - Daisy explains finally looking at Coulson.

"May, let's go home, tell the playground to prepare a containment module. Mack help me get it up" - Coulson speaks already picking up Hive or Ward from the floor.

"Lincoln said Hive was a parasite, that if Simmons could get him out of Ward's body, he couldn't hurt anyone. And that he is weak, this is our chance" - Daisy talks distant and with tears in his eyes again feeling his heart hurt. 

"Is that possible, Simmons?" Coulson asks, "technically, yes, since we have located the parasite." Simmons answers a bit frowning.

"So start thinking about theories of which part he is, we have to do it fast, before he wakes up and is no longer Ward" - Coulson talks and seems determined. "Yes, sir." - Simmons agrees.

*

In the playground...

After fixing the energy, Simmons and a medical team started a surgery to remove Hive from Ward's body, although he is disagreed everyone was prepared for a possible attack, they had agents inside and outside the room to protect them. Coulson had been following the surgery for almost three hours.

"Do you think Ward is alive or were they just a trap?" - May asks Coulson who watches the surgery carefully through the glass.

"I don't know, May. How could he be alive? I killed him, I saw his life going away, it doesn't make sense" - Coulson shakes his head looking at the operating room.

"Things haven't made sense for a long time" - May talks crossing his arms, "did you talk to Daisy, after what happened?" - May asks and Coulson finally looks into her eyes.

"I tried, but she's not talking much, I asked Mack to keep an eye on her" - Coulson still talks looking at May and she realizes that he's bothered with something else.

"What's wrong? What's bothering you, Coulson?" May asks.

"What if Ward is alive, Melinda? What are we going to do with him?" Coulson asks disturbed with the possibility. 

"Hive only came to this world because I killed Ward, Lincoln and other people are dead as a result" - Coulson confesses looking tired.

"That's not your fault, Coulson. If it wasn't for Ward I'm sure it would be another, we'll deal with one problem at a time" - May reassures him.

An hour later Simmons finally approaches the intercom and says: "Sir, we made it, the parasite has been removed but it's barely moving" - Simmons sighs looking optimistic. And it was intriguing how something so small made so much chaos.

"Very good, Simmons. Now direct agents Cooper and Davis to put the parasite safely inside the box" - Coulson speaks as agents place Hive or what's left of it inside a high-security Shield box, it would be destroyed as soon as possible.

"What happened, Simmons?" Coulson asks when Simmons and the other doctors look almost scared to monitor, leaving Coulson apprehensive.

"Sir..." - After seconds that seemed an eternity Simmons speaks with fear.

"We're registering brain and cardiac activity in the body.... he's alive." - Simmons whispers the last part. 

"Sir, he's breathing. Repeating, sir, Grant Ward is alive." - Simmons confirms again.

"Shit." Coulson whispers.

*

2 weeks later...

"You really don't know?" - Elena asks Mack for the third time and he denies. She and Mack almost in the director's room after Coulson asked Mack to take her.

"What will we do with him?" - Coulson asks for the twentieth time in a week but nobody has a really good answer.

"He tried to hurt someone, Simmons?" - Elena hears Coulson ask when they get to the door of the room, but they expect to be called instead of interrupting.

"He has been more active from yesterday to today, he asks questions and also recognized me, and his head is with m points, he doesn't have..." - Simmons starts to talk too much and Coulson gives an anxious look, "But no sir, he didn't threaten or hurt someone..." - She finally gives the answer he wants.

Elena and Mack exchange glances knowing that they are talking about Grant Ward, Elena didn't know him only the creature that was in his body, not the man but he has quite a history, she heard about how he betrayed Shield, how he was in love with Daisy, tortured Agent Morse, He killed Coulson's ex-girlfriend which resulted in his death, but until then he was a dead guy, with the body being used by an inhuman until everybody started talking about how he had come back from the dead, apparently it was a lot for her to think.

"Will you kill him again, sir?" - Simmons asks looking fearful, and that's when Elena looks at Mack frowning at his eyebrows in amazement.

Elena was an impulsive person, it didn't have to do only with powers, it was something of her personality, to take attitudes without thinking about the consequences, she has already done it several times in life and she does it again.

When she opens the door a protest comes out of Mack's mouth but she doesn't listen, because she's the one talking.

"I'm sorry sir, but I don't think this is fair" - Yoyo speaks when she enters the room, all eyes go to her, Yoyo didn't even know that May was in the room.

"Agent Rodriguez... what don't you think is fair?" - Coulson asks surprised and even funny with the interruption.

"You're talking about killing Grant Ward again, right?" - Yoyo asks even knowing the answer.

"I'm not a killer, Yoyo. We're just trying to solve the situation in the best way and we haven't even considered death yet, but it's what he deserves after all" - Coulson starts defending himself but Yoyo interrupts him.

"You're not a murderer but you killed him in cold blood anyway, for revenge, and I understand what it's like to feel useless after losing a person you love. But he died, Coulson and someone used his body and God knows what happened to him in the meantime, And you went through the same, you died and I don't know how it is, but I'm sure it's not good" - Yoyo speaks and Coulson seems really intrigued with her words.

"I'm just saying that he made a mistake and a lot, and he died for it, I think dying is the biggest punishment that someone can suffer, but he is miraculously alive, what I'm saying is that everyone deserves a second chance, why not him?" - Yoyo doesn't know why she is defending a stranger but there she is

"Sir, I am right. I hate what Ward did with Bobbi, but he died and had the body used by someone, I think he already paid for everything, and the last time you did it Hive came here" - Mack speaks supporting Yoyo. 

"Thank you, Yoyo and Mack. Coulson finally speaks and he seems affected by the agents' words.

"And the mission, sir?" Yoyo asks for the real reason it's there, "Oh... it wasn't really a mission, I was going to ask for the last mission report." Coulson remembers.

"I'm finishing up, sir... sorry again." Yoyo speaks before going after Mack.

"I hate to say this, but they're not wrong, Coulson." May speaks ill of it, but she knows he must have already made a decision.

"I know." Coulson sighs, it wouldn't be easy, he thinks

*

Grant is alive. He doesn't know how, but he is, he feels wrong, in fact he always felt a little like that, but now it was different as if it wasn't natural, this is the strangest thing that ever happened to him, he has been through a lot but nothing like that, adding this and the memories of everything Hive did, how he used his body, how he used other people made him sick every night.

It was strange to wake up in the Shield with Simmons evaluating him like in the old days. She started to tell everything that happened to him since Hive took over his body, she was being professional he knew, but the scowl never left her face mainly when he said he was sorry for Lincoln and only got worse when he asked about Skye.

Ward jumps out of bed when Coulson enters the room, he doesn't lower his guard when he is with Coulson because the only thing that comes to his mind is how he crushed his chest, how he felt his bones breaking and the air never reaching his lungs, despite this he didn't blame Coulson, he had his reasons.

"I'll be direct, you have 2 options, you can stay here at the Shield, doing psychological treatment and monitoring from this clock, you won't leave on missions, but if you behave, in the future you will be able to walk free inside the base and be a consultant during missions" - Coulson speaks almost grudgingly as if it brought pain to speak that. He puts his wrist watch on the table.

"If you don't accept or try something against the Shield I will turn you over to the government and you can get life imprisonment or even death penalty" - Coulson finishes and Ward thinks this is the option that should please everyone the most.

"There are 3 options, in fact..." - Ward talks to gain time to think and Coulson turns his eyes. He had already thought about this possibility during the days he was at rest but he would never imagine that Coulson and the rest of the team would accept this, it was more like a dream that things would go back to what they were before, but he knew that this was impossible.

"Why are you doing this? You know that the others won't accept it" - to be honest Ward is tired of this game of cat and mouse, of hating and being hated, it was strange to think this because at the same time that it seemed like yesterday he was trying to destroy the Shield, it also seems like an eternity ago that everything happened.

He doesn't deny that he doesn't want to stay in a prison the rest of his life or worse to die again, what Coulson was offering was much more than he deserved.

Ward stayed thinking a lot about the things he did, the people he killed and betrayed during that week, he wanted to react and get out of there and go to a place he would be accepted, but he knows that this place doesn't exist, it would make no difference to go or stay, that's why he stayed, or maybe for fear of killing him again.

What most haunted him since he returned was not Coulson, Shield or Hive, but the idea of dying again, Ward never thought or cared where he would go when he died he had other things to deal with and even when he got directionless and tried to kill himself he didn't think about, just did, he also didn't believe in God, heaven and hell, but the place he was... he didn't know what it was or how to describe it, but it wasn't good and it certainly wasn't heaven, it was probably the closest thing to hell he ever imagined.

"I am the director, they can't contradict me" - Coulson talks by shrugging his shoulders. "I'm asking why you're giving me a chance, Coulson. You all hate me, I know you haven't simply changed your mind" - Ward wants the truth.

"I killed you, that was enough for me. I know what it's like to die, to feel like I shouldn't be alive and we never gave you a second chance, no... I think that's fair." Coulson talks but doesn't show emotions and Ward is surprised that Coulson knows what he's going through. "Besides, I'm giving the chance but I'm not saying that it will be easy, you will have to fight" - he finishes by saying

Ward knew that the best way to avoid going back to that place was to be someone better and try to redeem himself. Being the good man Skye believed he was, a part of him thinks.

"I'll try my best... thanks." - Ward settled. The last thing he would think about doing is going back to Shield, but here he is.

"So I hope... And Ward don't do like the first time." Coulson warns and leaves.

*

The next day...

"Where's Daisy?" Coulson asks after not seeing Daisy in the room with the rest of the agents.

"She hasn't left the room, sir." Mack answers looking worried.

"Well, I assume she'll have to find out otherwise." Coulson talks and the agents seem confused or curious. "I've made a decision about our unexpected guest... he's going to be here indefinitely." - when Coulson talks about the guest it's clear that it's Grant Ward they're talking about.

Fitz and Simmons exchanged glances, Yoyo and Mack seemed comfortable, May and other agents seemed indifferent.

"But Lord and if he ..." - Simmons tries to protest. "He won't hurt anybody agent Simmons, he has agreed to psychological treatment and monitoring twenty-four hours, and that is my final decision as director" - Coulson speaks before she finishes already knowing what she will say.

"Coulson speaks and the agents start to leave the room, and Simmons' gaze does not go unnoticed.

*

Daisy is leaving Shield, she can't and doesn't deserve to be here, she feels the guilt consuming her every day, she thinks about Lincoln and the people she killed every day, about how she betrayed Shield, her only family.

She is going in the direction of the playground exit passing by the lab when someone calling her old name and she freezes in place, she had no intention to stop but that voice... she hasn't heard for a long time, not the voice but the affection in her.

"Skye?" - Ward was in the laboratory when he saw her passing, he almost didn't recognize her.

Daisy turns slowly and sees Grant Ward's whisky colored eyes, her mouth opens in surprise and it's like seeing a ghost, she doesn't know if it's by surprise or another reason but her heart beats a little faster.

"Ward." - she sighs, He looks tired, the body thin, the face with the shadow of the beard, and the eyes with dark circles.

Mack had gone to her room and said what was happening outside and what else caught her attention was: Ward is alive, but it still wasn't enough to get her out of the immersion that was in herself.

Although I had seen his body during all these months, even knowing that he was dead was one thing but seeing him was different.

Sometimes she doesn't feel anything, other times she feels as if the guilt swallowed her, this is one of the moments she hardly feels anything, except for a mute anger fighting to get out, but it seems it doesn't make sense anymore to hate him.

Nothing makes more sense since Lincoln left, that's why she goes to Ward, as if she were an old friend.

"How... how are you alive?" - Daisy walks into the room, she should be afraid of him but she's not, she knows that he wouldn't hurt her, but there's a part of her that wishes he would, Daisy has been having dark thoughts about hurting herself lately, she thinks she deserves after everything she's done.

"I don't know, Skye" - Ward says sincerely and a little surprised to see her, "I'm sorry... it's Daisy, right?" - he completes quickly.

"Yes... how do you know?" - Daisy narrows her suspicious eyes, so she realizes, just like Hive had his memories, and he had Hive. "You have his memories" - she talks and he settles down, it made sense. 

"Look Daisy, I'm sorry about..." - Ward tries to talk but Daisy won't let him finish.

"No, please don't say..." Daisy tries to look firm but she feels her eyes burning with tears. He immediately shuts up and he tries to get closer but she retreats immediately, and Ward notices the bag she carries.

"No... you are still you, the fact that we are talking doesn't change that" - Daisy talks remembering everything he did, but still she can't feel the anger, a part of her thinks she never really hated him, she understands him now exactly as he said she would, but still she doesn't forgive him, she didn't know what to think, she was so confused with everything, so she remembers what she said to Coulson just a few days ago: me and Ward make the perfect match.

"Right... so where are you going?" - Ward asks, raising his hands in surrender and then pointing to her purse.

"She confesses and the words sound strange in her mouth. 

"Isn't that why I'm staying is?" - Ward asks frowning, and Daisy's face falls in surprise again, she didn't know that.

"New Ward: the world doesn't revolve around you, so don't" - Daisy says with a dark humor. "And don't try to stop me" - she talks holding the purse tighter.

"I won't, I know how you feel, but I didn't think you'd leave the Shield, Coulson will be worried..." - Ward talks defensively.

"And how could you know how I feel Ward?" Daisy asks in anger but immediately she regrets it.

"I lost you, I lost the team, because of a duty I thought I had, which only brought pain and death to me and everyone around me, so yes, I know what it's like to live with guilt suffocating you every day, as if you don't deserve to be alive..." - Ward talks almost sad, and this only makes Daisy feel more guilty than she is feeling, she hates the fact that he also understands this, he always understood her, it was one of the reasons she fell in love with him.

"I'd like to help you, Daisy..." - Ward talks trying to get closer slowly. He didn't like to see her like this, suffering, he wasn't in love with her, but every time he saw her it was as if a light went on inside him, he doesn't know what it means but anyway she was still so important to him. Sometimes he thinks that a part of him will always be in love with her.

"You can't help me! I'm broken! and you too, Ward, can't fix it! You better than anyone should know" - Daisy yells at him, she turns her head back trying to stop the tears from falling.

"I have to go..." - Daisy talks when a strange silence sets in between them.

"I hope you'll be okay..." - Ward speaks, "you... you too."- Daisy wasn't lying, but she didn't know if she was being sincere either. She turned to leave feeling his eyes on her.

Then she realizes something... after everything she went through, with her parents, after her mother manipulated her, after being controlled by Hive, killing people, betraying Coulson and Shield, almost killing Mack for him, losing Lincoln.

"Grant?" - Daisy turns around and calls him, "Yes?" - he asks standing in the same place he was, Ward sees Daisy frowning his eyebrows looking reflective.

Then Daisy says something she never thought she would say in her whole life: 

"You were right, I understand you now..." - Daisy says and goes away before he reacts. 

**Author's Note:**

> so, this is the first part of three (who knows more?), with the end of agents of shield, I kind of went back to my skyeward lol obsession, and I always wanted to do a fanfic on them and here it is, and I really hope you enjoyed it
> 
> ps: I know it's marked like a skyeward fanfic, but I didn't want to make their feelings for each other explicit, I intend to rebuild their relationship, I think if this had happened in the canon it would have been something slow, just like they fell in love the first time was something built over the first season, but I promise it won't be that long.


End file.
